We went strawberry picking with my younger daughter’s friends and their families today. Spring break is coming to an end soon. She had been really excited to go strawberry picking with her friends since spring break began. She absolutely loves strawberries—and so do I—so today we ate until we couldn’t eat any more.
Today, April 5th, is Easter. After we finished strawberry picking, we invited them to our house for an egg hunt in the garden. We had lunch together at home.
While I was hiding the eggs in the garden, it brought back old memories. When my older daughter was little, she really loved the Easter holidays. When we were in Mexico, we enjoyed spring holiday called Semana Santa there. It is a celebration of the Passion of Christ (Suffering of Jesus) in the Catholic tradition, and takes place in the week leading up to Easter. I think it is a major celebration, almost as important as Christmas.
In some Latin American countries, such as Mexico, Christianity is deeply ingrained in people’s lives. For this reason, the celebrations are large and vibrant, with many events related to the faith.
I reckon that these traditions enrich people’s lives and bring communities and family together.
I feel this is one of the big differences between Japan and those countries. Of course, we also have seasonal events in Japan, ..Hinamatsuri for instance, but we do not usually celebrate them for an entire week, do we?
I admire their culture from the bottom of my heart. Even Easter alone, having a Easter party (Pascua) with family and friends, egg hunts, decorating eggs, and giving chocolate eggs are all very fun, especially for children. My older daughter loved these activities too. I would love to offer similar opportunities to my daughters and their friends so I used to host big parties and invite them. I even made piñatas from scratch to entertain them when she was in primary school. Now that she has grown up, it feels quite nostalgic. I’ve completely got used to living in Japan and I realise that I no longer make piñatas or decorate the living room like I used to.
Take a moment to pause, breathe, and smell the roses. It might help us realise something, even if only a little.